Andrew Ravens · MotorBiscuit Tue, November 3, 2026 at 7:50 PM UTC · 3 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. agree Carson Hocevar brake-checked Austin Cindric on purpose at Martinsville, but not on what should happen next.
Earnhardt, who co-owns JR Motorsports and hosts his own motorsports podcast, was a guest host on Hamlin's Actions Detrimental this week. The two debated the Hocevar incident on the episode.
Hocevar hit the brakes in front of Cindric several times Sunday. With NASCAR 's softer short-track bumpers, the damage to the nose of Cindric's No. 2 Ford ended his day.
Hamlin and Earnhardt first compared it to Josh Berry's contact with Ryan Blaney in the same race. Hamlin said the two incidents were different.
"I see, like, Josh Berry's, right, and you can see his car, and he gets sideways, and you can make an argument, true or false, that he's trying to correct his car," Hamlin said.
"I think the difference with the 77 is if you're going in a straight line, there's no reason for you slamming on the brakes in the middle straightaway," he added.
Hamlin also questioned why that should be treated differently from other intentional wrecks. "I know that I've gotten that penalty. What's the difference in wrecking from the front versus wrecking from the rear?" he said.
Earnhardt said Berry did brake-check Blaney, but in a way that gave him an out.
"Hocevar's was absolutely obvious," Earnhardt said. "And he didn't even try to hide it."
The debate turned when Earnhardt said he would rather see the garage deal with Hocevar than NASCAR.
"I'm going to put my promoter's hat on. So is what Hocevar did to Cindric wrong? Yes. Is it pretty s***? Yes," Earnhardt said.
Earnhardt then asked what would happen if NASCAR did nothing. "What happens, what continues to happen? He continues to do it. And one day somebody decides to make it stop," he said.
"But Dale, that's not sport," Hamlin said. "I believe we have to maintain the integrity of the sport. Even if it comes at the cost of entertainment."
"Because I'm a car owner, Dale, that spends tens of millions of dollars. Do I really want my drivers' days decided because someone's out there being a clown and just wrecking everyone in sight?" Hamlin added. "No, you eventually have to have guardrails. And he can still be the polarizing person outside the car and still make great moves and show off his driving ability. There's still ways to be polarizing without being a clown."
Earnhardt said he has talked to Spire Motorsports ' ownership. "I know for a fact that they don't love everything that happens on Sunday," he said.
He compared Hocevar to Ernie Irvan, who he said created problems early in his career before standing up in a drivers' meeting to apologize.
Hamlin was docked 25 points and fined in 2023 for intentionally wrecking Ross Chastain at Phoenix. Hocevar said after the race that it was just Martinsville and that he "had fun." NASCAR had not announced a decision on Hocevar as of Tuesday morning.
The season ends Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Source: Sports
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